The present invention is directed to special call handling methods and systems, and especially to special call handling systems and methods embodied in emergency service call handling methods and systems. The present invention is particularly useful for participants in a special number call, such as an emergency service call, as well as for users accessing special number call-related data.
In today's special number call systems, such as emergency service call systems, a caller's telephone number may relate the call event with both ALI (Automatic Location Information) and Supplemental ALI information contained in database systems located at a respective PSAP (Public Service Answering Point or Public Service Answering Position) or elsewhere. The telephone number used in such situations is not always unique to a specific call event. For example, the same telephone number may be used to place a plurality of service request calls. Such a lack of uniqueness is particularly the case when the service request call involves a mobile phone, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), or an Automatic Crash Notification (ACN) call where pseudo or temporary telephone numbers are assigned to facilitate routing of the call to a geographically appropriate PSAP. The temporary or pseudo telephone numbers may also be used for call-back to a calling party by a PSAP or other call participant, such as a first responder (e.g., police, fire or medical service personnel). Such temporary telephone numbers are typically embodied in a pool of numbers assigned by each service provider to a given PSAP or other call handling entity and are reused after a particular call event ends. As a result in such situations no unique identifier is available to tie 9-1-1 call events (i.e., emergency service call events) directly with diverse databases that can provide valuable information to emergency service call participants during the pendency of the call event, or to regulatory agencies studying historical or statistical information regarding such calls after the conclusion of the event. Similar limitations apply equally regarding other special number call participants. By way of example and not by way of limitation, special number call participants in the context of an emergency service call may include PSAPs, first responders, hospital personnel or subscribers to commercial 9-1-1 Personal Safety Services, such as Emergency Notification Services (a service for calling designated parties whenever a 9-1-1 call is placed from a phone designated by the subscriber) or a 9-1-1 Personal Information Services (where subscribers can pre-notify Public Safety personnel of important medical conditions or other household). When there is no common tie available to the various participants in an emergency service call, each user of the 9-1-1 call data must individually query databases and verbally pass call-event related information verbally along to each subsequently contacted party. For example, the PSAP may need to communicate caller-related medical conditions to a first responder; the first responder must pass on caller-related medical conditions to a hospital, and the hospital must pass on caller-related medical conditions to an insurance company. Other authorized users accessing data specific to special call event data have similar information needs and encounter similar information passing inefficiencies.
No identifier exists with prior art special number service call systems, such as emergency service call systems, that can relate information and facilitate information transfer among participants, external databases, data stores and/or applications (e.g., state, federal, local agency or homeland security) during or following individual service call events.
The phrase “and/or” is employed throughout this description to indicate that both a conjunctive relation and an alternative relation apply among terms. For example, the expression “A and/or B” intends to describe both relationships (1) A and B, and (2) A or B.
Prior art emergency service call systems use a caller's TN (telephone number) to query both an ESME (Emergency Services Messaging Entity that includes an ALI system and associated network elements) and Supplemental ALI information contained in PSAP-located database systems. No unique identifier is available to directly tie 9-1-1 call events with information contained in diverse databases, data stores and applications that can be of value to call participants such as, but not limited to, PSAPs, first responders, hospital personnel or subscribers to commercial services such as 9-1-1 Personal Information Services or Emergency Notification Services during pendency of the call event or after the event is concluded. Any of various agencies may find it valuable to study historical or statistical information relating to a call event after the event is concluded, or to access data during pendency of the call event for real-time predictive algorithms. Such agencies may include, by way of example and not by way of limitation, government agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) or the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). First responders do not have information available to them that may prepare them or alert them to properly equip to deal with a 9-1-1 call.
Subscribers to commercial 9-1-1 Personal Safety Services do not presently have a method by which they can pre-notify first responders regarding vital data that could save lives and reduce medical costs, such as key medical conditions, number of children, disabled persons or pets in a household (for rescue and fire response) or the nearest hospital covered by the subscriber's insurance. Some PSAPs have auxiliary on-site ALI (Automatic Location Information) databases with supplemental information relating to telephone numbers. However, these auxiliary ALI databases frequently contain outdated or inaccurate information. This occurs primarily for two reasons. First, PSAPs are not automatically notified when a TN is moved, deleted or reassigned through Telco (telephone company) ALI database processing. Consequently, supplemental data for the past owner of TN might erroneously be provided to the PSAP or first responder during a 9-1-1 call event. Second, PSAP personnel must update and maintain the databases. Updates are typically received annually via responses to mail questionnaires returned by the public. The receipt of updated information is often spotty at best, and PSAP personnel often haven't enough time to effect the required data entries to update the database.
A dissimilar situation exists with systems commonly referred to as Personal Emergency Response Services (PERS). In a PERS system a commercial subscriber's medical information is housed in a proprietary database and the subscriber wears a pendant with an attendant call button. In the event the subscriber needs to call 9-1-1 but cannot reach a phone, for example an elderly person that has fallen, then the subscriber may access the commercial PERS system by activating the pendant button to reach a PERS call center. The PERS call center accesses the subscriber's medical history via the proprietary database. In this case, the subscriber's medical history may be assumed to be accurate. However, the PERS proprietary database is not automatically tied to changes in the TN submitted by the phone service provider, nor is the PERS proprietary database tied to PSAP specific information such as call history databases or supplemental ALI databases that the PSAP may maintain.
First responders may not be able to deal with 9-1-1 calls without the event-related data as well as they could if that information were automatically provided to them. As prior art emergency service communications systems are configured, each participant in an emergency service call must have individual access to each database system from which information is desired. Additionally, subscribers to commercial 9-1-1 Personal Safety Services cannot presently pre-notify first responders regarding vital data that could save lives and reduce medical costs. Moreover, no identifier presently exists to tie information in external databases, such as state, federal and local agencies with 9-1-1 call events. Such a link or tie would be valuable in reconstructing events or in gathering statistical information.
There have been attempts at solving this need for information sharing relating to 9-1-1 call events, especially as it applies to notification services. U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,126 to Carrier et al. for “Emergency Alert and Security Apparatus and Method”, issued Mar. 16, 1993, discloses a monitor/router device connected to a 9-1-1 selective router tandem switch or to a caller's phone instrument to detect a TN (telephone number) called and initiate a notification service. Carrier et al. do not disclose a system or method for uniquely identifying a call event or for availing participants and others in a special number call of information contained in a plurality of data stores.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,805,670 to Pons et al. for “Private Notification System for Communicating 9-1-1 Information”, issued Sep. 8, 1998, discloses a private 911 information database and notification service that is triggered through equipment installed directly in a 9-1-1 call center (PSAP). Pons et al. do not disclose a system or method for uniquely identifying a call event or for availing participants and others in a special number call of information contained in a plurality of data stores.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,385 to Reich et al. for “System for the Automatic Notification That a 9-1-1 Call Has Occurred”, issued Nov. 21, 2000, discloses a system in which the TN (telephone number) for every ESME (Emergency Services Messaging Entity) query is output to a separate notification system. The notification system then identifies which TNs (telephone numbers) correspond to subscribers' TNs and pulls the pre-selected notification list associated with an appropriate subscriber. An automatic call is placed to each party designated for notification to announce that a 9-1-1 call has been made from the subscriber's TN. Reich et al. do not disclose a system or method for uniquely identifying a call event or for availing participants and others in a special number call of information contained in a plurality of data stores.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,415,018 to Antonucci et al. for “Telecommunication System and Method for Handling Special Number Calls Having Geographic Sensitivity”, issued Jul. 2, 2002, discloses a notification bridge located at a telecommunication service provider's ALI (Automatic Location Information) system that operates as a gateway between a PSAP and a notification database and a supplemental information database (the additional databases). The notification bridge permits exchange of data between the PSAP and one or both of the additional databases. Antonucci does not disclose a system or method for uniquely identifying a call event or for availing participants and others in a special number call of information contained in a plurality of data stores.
There is a need for a method and system for availing participants and non-participants in a special number call, such as an emergency services call, of information related to the call contained in a plurality of data stores.
There is a need for a method and system for availing participants and non-participants in a special number call, such as an emergency services notification request from a non-voice device, by way of example and not by way of limitation, a 2-way pager, a PDA (personal digital assistant), any wireless-connected device (using any communication frequency including RF and light signals), any internet-connected device, a Personal Emergency Response system, of information related to the call contained in a plurality of data stores.
There is a need for a method and system that enables automatic provision of event related data without requiring individual access to each database, data store or application.
There is a need for a method and system that enables post-event evaluation and study of information contained in a plurality of data stores that are related to a special number call.
The present invention is applicable generally to special number call systems. Descriptions and illustrations regarding the invention disclosure will hereinafter be presented in the context of an exemplary 9-1-1 emergency service call system.
The present invention satisfies the needs mentioned above by providing PSAPs (and other special number call handlers) and first responders with a capability for real-time access to information of diverse data providers, such as emergency call information. The access is automatically tied to a special number call event such as a 9-1-1 call event.
Additionally, subscribers to commercial 9-1-1 Personal Safety Services can pre-notify emergency responders, hospitals and others of critical household conditions and identify insurance providers with appropriate information about subscribers to such commercial 9-1-1 Personal Safety Services. The unique IID (incident identification) employed by the present invention provides a mechanism to facilitate information transfer among and association of 9-1-1 call events with multiple databases and applications containing related information. The IID provides a simplified tie or relation between a respective special number call event (e.g., a 9-1-1 call event) and all related information and databases queried regarding the respective call event. The tie provided by the IID persists both during and after the call event.